Committee Minutes, Tuesday, September 1st 2009

Senator Jeanne Chen submitted the following report to the Student Senate on Wednesday, September 9th 2009, on behalf of the Academics Committee, and pursuant to its Tuesday, September 1st 2009 recommendations:

Attendance:

There were four (4) members (Chen, Harrelson, Hurtig, Lahti) present.

There was one (1) member (Baughman) absent.

The following official was also present: Blanchard.

A quorum was present.

Meeting Overview:

See agenda.

Meeting Minutes:

Introduction of Members
1) Kristen Baughman, CALS, junior
2) Jeanne Chen, CALS, senior
3) Ethan Harrelson, CALS, sophomore
4) Celeste Hurtig, CHASS, senior
5) William Lahti, COE, graduate student

Other attending: Matthew Blanchard, COE, ASG delegate

Election of Committee Vice-Chair and Secretary

Vice-Chair: William Lahti
Secretary: Celeste Hurtig

Comments/Ideas on Intracampus Transfers

• Where is all of the documentation of GPA values for intracampus transfers?

• COM is one college that has the highest standards for its incoming students and generally does not allow upperclassman to transfer in. Is it unfair for it to do so?
- How many students leave COM after their freshman or sophomore year? Does this open up possible positions within the college?
- How many seats is the college looking atdisplacing if they let in a few upperclassmen?
- Suggestions: speak to Shannon Davis, Associate Dean or Bonnie Yarboro, Admissions counselor

• Committee could possibly arrange meetings with college deans to determine what the criteria are that they look for in students who transfer later.

• First Year College – how many students successfully leave to go to COM? How many are successful in leave to go to other colleges?

• Continue building on the idea of making intracampus transfers easier? (Joyner)

Comments/Ideas on Advising

• College of Management’s professional advisers
- How is this working out? Speak to COM administration
- Should other larger colleges explore this possibility for their first-year students, many of whom are required to take the same courses or have many of the same questions?
- Possibility of undergraduate program advisers to create “cheat sheets” for other faculty that may not have as much experience in advising, especially as to what classes students in specific areas of study need to graduate

• Advisers are needed to advise students competently in order to get them in and out efficiently

• Pairing of upperclassman with newer students to help them find the right paths, takes some of the burden off of the adviser
- Biology department has a program called Bio Pals where seniors or juniors are paired with freshmen and help them by suggesting what classes to take when

Ideas from Committee

• Possible better ‘spacing’ of classes, especially of those that are only offered on odd/even years or only in fall/spring semester
- Keeping students better informed

• Changing the drop date policy – still working on this
- Possibility of talking to professor to get work graded early or right before drop date – if this is fine with the teacher and advisor, it should be ok to drop after the drop date, but there should be no refund.

Delegation of duties
• William – finding out more about COM’s policies on transfers
• Ethan – more information about Bio Pals and how it works

Eventual Guest Speakers
1) Carrie McLean, Adviser, First Year College
2) Dr. John Ambrose, Interim Dean of Academic Programs – spoken to and possibly scheduled for September 15 or 29 at 6:30 pm